Kenya, led by Japan-based runners, dominated the field at the Chiba international ekiden road relay to win both the men's and women's races on Wednesday.
The Kenyan women's team, which featured Olympic and world silver medalist Catherine Ndereba, led from start to finish to claim its second victory and first in 14 years after covering the six-leg, 42.195-kilometer race in 2 hours, 13 minutes, 33 seconds.
Ethiopia, which had its winning streak snapped at three years, finished second in 2:14:16 and Russia came third in 2:14:48.
Host Japan was kept out of contention throughout the race and settled for fourth in 2:16:43.